Meter



Aug 4, 1931. D. J. ANGUS METER Filed March l2, 1927 MINI# [gaysa/vjfrnrr 7.?

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Patented vAug. 4, 1931 UNITED STATES' DONALD J. ANGUS, F INDIANAPOLIS,INDIANA IETEB Application med latch 12. 1927. Serial lo. 174,806.

In the ordinary operation of graphic meters, an entirely adequate recordmay be obtained on a slow-moving chart; for the variation from second tosecond and even from minute to minute, are ordinarily of comparativelyslight import.

In emergencies, however,'especially in the larger electric supplysystems 1n which many stations and generators are connected, whathappens from second to second, or even in fractions of seconds, becomesextremely important; and the things which happen in the very beginnin ofthe emergency, and especially` during t e first small raction of thefirst second, are often ofthe eatest importance. The detail of suchappenin which occur in a few seconds is complete y lost in the record onthe ordinary slow'mov.

ing chart; and it is information regarding 90 such detail, andespecially re arding the detail of the hap nings of the rst fraction ofthe (llirst second? that is frequently most desire f In my prior PatentsNo. 1,545,07 8, of July 7, 1925, and No. 1,598,595, of September 7,1926, Iv have described graphic meters in which the chart ordinarilyoperates at a desired` slow .s ed; butin which upon the occurrence o anemergenc the chart starts at once to operate at a pre etermined higherspeed, to give in minute detail the record of what occurs during theemergency. The apparatus shown in those two patents is very e ective.

In the specific apparatus shown in those two patents, however, thehigh-speed driving mechanism is an electric motor, with suitableconnections between it andthe chart as set forth in those atents; andsuch electric motor is desirab y in continuous operation, although itsdriving connection to the chart isnormally inoperative save when anemergency occurs. In yorder to ensure that the chart will operate at thedesired high speed upon the occurrence of the emergency, regardless ofwhat may happen in the system of which the chart is making the record,it is desirable to have a separate source a of current supply for suchelectric motor. 5 This is often mconvenient, and the continuousoperation ofthe motor is also sometimes undesirable.

My present invention is a specific embodiment of the broad inventionscovered in the aforesaid two patents, with certain added advantages. Itis the object of my present invention to obtain the advantages of thedevices described in said two patents, and yet to avoid the necessityfor such a separate constantly running motor, or even of an electricmotorv of any sort, for drivin the chart at the high speed; and to provie instead a spring-motor or similar mechanical motor, which is throwninto operation upon the occurrence of an emergency, attains full speedin an exceedingly ysmall fraction of a second, and operates ata uniformspeed for the occurrence of the emer ency and 4desirably until the endof some integral number of deiinite'time-periods (such as seconds) fromthe inception of the emergency.

It is a further object to provide an effective critical-speed governorwhich serves to maintain the motor at the desired uniform speed; whichgoverning device is' desirably adjustable or an critical speed, withinlimits, and serveseyectively to maintain the high-speed motor quiteaccurately at that speed.v It is a still further object to effect achange from low speed to hi h speed, asin my aforesaidprior Patent o.1,598,595 of September 7, 1926, not onl in minimum time so that thechart will be moving at the high speed very early in the first second ofthe emergency, but with: out ossibility' of interrupting the highspeedrive and destroyi the high-speed record until the desired pre eterminedmovement at high speed has been accomplished.

The accom anying drawings illustrate my invention: ig. 1 is asemi-diagrammatic view of a meter chart with both the normal orlow-speed driving mechanism and an emergency or high-s ee arran d inaccor ance with a preferred em iment of my invention and applied to anelectrical distribution system, the vadriving mechanism rious gearsbeing shown diagrammatically as mere disks, for simplicity, althoughnecessarily they are toothed to get the desired ernor, the view bein asection transverse to the rock shaft whic carries the governor nmechanism and' to the shaft which carries the eccentric which operatessuch overnor; and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detai of the stopcontrolmechanism of the hiG'h-s d drive showing such high-speed drive instopped position.

The chart may be the chart of any graphic meter; and usually haslongitudinal lines 11 indicating values of the uantities to be measuredand' transverse ines 12, usuall arcs, indicating time. The record is mae by moving the chart beneath a n 13, which makes a graph on the chart.'ghe chart 10 is shown as suitably driven b a roller 14 on the shaft 15;which roller has radial] projecting pins 16 for meshing with holes l;along the ed es of the chart. After passing the roller 1 the chart 'iswound up on a wind-up roll 19. The details of how the chart is drivenfrom the shaft 15, how the wind-up roll 19 is operated, and how the pen13 is operated under the control of the conditions to which the meter isresponsive, may be anything desired, de nding upon the type of meterused an the thing which the meter is to record. As shown, the meter isassumed to be an electric meter, associated in any suitable way with asupply circuit 18; but it is not necessary to my invention that themeter be an electric meter, or that it be associated in any particularway with the supply-circuit 18 if it is an electric meter.

The shaft 15, which is the shaft for the chart 10, has two mechanisms.One of these is the no driving mechanism, for operating the chart 10 atlow speed; and may consist of a conventional clock-work mechanism,indicated by a gear 20, driving a gear 21 loose on the shaft butassociated with such shaft by a suitable clutch which will permit theclutch 15 and roller 14 to move forward at high speed without corresding high-speed movement of the gear 1. Such clutch ma pawl-and-ratchetoverrunning clutch shown in my aforesaid prior Patent No. 1,545,078, ofJul 7, 1925, although that or any other suitab e form of overrunningclutch may be used, the form I now refer is that shown in my otheraforesai prior Patent No. 1,598,595, of September- 7, 1926, whereinthere is a simple friction clutch 22 of which the friction is sucientlyt not to let the clutch sli when the drive of the shaft 15 is from t egear 21 at low seed but suiciently small to let the clutch ip when thehigh-speed drive is in operation. The nature of the normal drivingmechanism is immaterial, and the clock-work mechanism y hi h-Speed drivimechanism take any suitable form; but instead of the g ng shown as a awl26 carried by a disk 27 l fixed on the s aft and en ging a ratchet wheel28 fixed on the shai;l 15 so far as rotative movement is concerned. Theshaft 25 is connected to a shaft 30 by a pair of gears 31 and 32; whichmay be of any desired gear ratio, and which may be removed to permit thesubstitution of other gears having different gear ratios, to get anydesired s d relation between the shafts and 25. 'Filisinterchangeability of gearing between the two shafts 30 and 25 is adesirable feature, although not at all essential to my invention.

The shaft 30 receives power from one or more spring motors 33 and 34,here shown as two in number to give greater wer than can be obtainedfrom one. ese s ring-motors are energy-storing devices.

he spring motor or motors have driving rs 35 which mesh with a pinion 36on an intermediate shaft 37, which in turn carries a gear 38 whichmeshes with a pinion 39 on the shaft 30. Thus the power from the s ringmotors 33 and 34 may be transmitted troughthegearing35-36 theshaft37,the gearing 38-39, the shaft 30, the gearingI 32-31, the shaft 25,the'ov clutch 2711-26-28, tgl the shaft 15 hfloil-l drivthe c art atspeed; at w 'c time tllig clutch 22 Shilling to permit such highspeedmovement of the chart. The spring motors are wound up, to store energyin their sprin in any convenient way, common in spring motors.

Under ordinary conditions, however, this is ineffective merely stored ine chart 10 is driven and at rest, with ene the spring motors; and t by alow-speed driving bythe gear 20, with suitable overrunning at theoverrunning clutch 27-26-28. Further, when the high-speed drivingmechanism is renderedeective, it operatea at substantially uniform sdesirably at a speed which is some defmultiple of the speed of thelow-speed rive.

To this end, I provide a stop mechanism and a govern mechanism. In theform shown, the shuiit 30 carries a gear 40 in addition to the r 32randpinion 39; and the gear 40 mes es with a\pinion 41 on a.

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mechanism denoted ,a stop gear 47.

them, such as fiber.

shaft 42, which in turn also carries a gear 43 meshing with a pinion 44on a shaft 45. This shaft 45 thus moves at comparatively high speed. Theshaft 45 carries, in addition to the pinion 44, an eccentric 46 and Theeccentric 46 operates the governor,

'which controls the speed of the `shaft 30; and the stop-gear 47 co-orates with stop mechanism which normalg holds stationary the shaft 45,and there y all the shafts 37, 30, 42, and-45 which are operated by thespring motors 33 and 34.

The governor mechanism which I use is, so far as I am aware, new initself. It comprises a rock shaft 50 whichy carries a fork 51 embracingthe eccentric46; so that by the rotation of the shaft 45 and theco-action of the eccentric 46 with the two fingers of the fork 51, therock shaft 50 is ra idly oscillated. The fork 50 is part of a rame 52which rocks with such fork 51 aboutthe axis of the rock shaft 50.Indeed, the rock shaft 50 need notitself roc if desired, but may merelyform a support for the rocking frame 52.) From the two opposite sides ofthe frame 52, two leaf springs 53 roject oppositely from the fork 51, anat their outer ends approach near each other with a block 54 of frictionmaterial between -A bolt 55 passes throu h this block 54 of frictionmaterial andv t rough the ends Aof l the two leaf springs 53, and isprovided at its two ends with a head 56 and a nut 57. A coiled spring 58surrounds the bolt 55 and is located between thev head 56 and theadjacent leaf-spring 53. The spring 58 is a-compresvsion spring, whosestress may be ad'usted by adjusting the nut 57 on the bo t 55; and itacts to press'the ends of the two leafsprings 53 against the block 54 offriction material. Between the nut 57 and the adjacent leaf-s ring 56 isan eccentricall mounted was er 59; desirably with-alloc washer 60between it and the nut 57. The eccentrically mounted washer 59 isAdesirably thin around the bolt 55; but in its farthest projecting partis made thicker, as indicated at 61, to provide a wei ht somethixg likea pendulum wei ht. T is thickene ,portion may have a s ot 62, forreceiving a screw-driver blade by which the washer 59 may be adjustedaround the bolt 55 to vary the distance between the center of gravity ofsuch weighted eccentric washer 59 and the axis of the rock shaft 50.This,

lin effect, varies the pendulum-length of the' device as a whole, andcontrols its normal periodicit or natural period bof vibration.

In hig -speed operation, the governor mechanism is rocked back and forthabout the axis of the rock-shaft 50. As the speed rises from zero, orrest, the governor mechanism swings as a substantially rigid body hasuntil a critical speed is approached, with substantially yno s ippiiiglbetween the ends of the leaf-springs 53 and the friction block 54. t Asthat critical speed-or natural period of vibration of the leaf-springs'53 and the wei ht at their outer ends-is approache the amplitude of thethrow of such weight and the adjacent .ends lof the springs 53 increasesrapidl This makes it necessary for the leaf-springs 53 to bend, and fortheir ends to slip relativel -to veach other on the friction-block l54.T 'is bending and slipping consumes energy, inV a quantity depending onthe nature ofk the surfaces of the friction material 54 and of theleaf-springs 53, on the pressure of the compression spring 58, and onthe amplitude which such throw attains. More energy is also consumed inthe various bearing surfaces, as at the eccentric 46, because of theincreased amplitude and the resultant increased pressure on `suchbearing surfaces.

.As the amplitude rises, the consumption of energy also rises, until itequals the excess energy developed by the spring-motors 33 and 34 overthat required to drive the chart. Since ythere is then no more energyavailable, this effectively limits the speed of the various shafts 37,30, 42,'and 45, and so effectively prevents them from exceeding thespeed which is the critical speed to which the governing device isresponsive. That critical speed can be adjusted, within limits, byturning ther eccentrically mounted weigheteed washer 59 rabout: thelbolt 55. It

n found convenient to make the high speed some definite multiple of thelow s d. Perhaps the most convenient relation is with the high-speeddrive 3,600 times as fast as the'low-speed drive because that makes thehour rulings onthe chart serve as second rulings during the high-speeddrive, `so that lthev rulings serve to divide the chart off into secondsduring the record- 'in of the emerglency conditions.

e stop mec anism comprises a rock sleeve mounted on a supporting pin orshaft 66. The rock sleeve 65 has three projecting arms-a stop arm 67, acontrol arm 68, and an operating arm 69.' The stop arm 67 and thecontrolarm 68 have a stop finger 67 and a control finger 68 at theirrespective outer; ehds.

The stop finger 67 at the outer end of the stop arm 67 co-operates withthe lstop gear 47; so that when such stop finger moves into positionbetween two teethl of the stop ear 47, it stops the high-speedkmechanism rom further movement.

The lcontrol finger 68 at the outer end of the control arm 68co-operates with two disks 70 and 71 carried by the shaft 72 of one ofthe spring motors 33 and 34-here the shaft of the spring motor 33-f-tomake certain that when an emergency occurs theY ion iis

high-speed ,drive will not only into operation but will continue inoperation for a predetermined time, and that the record of an emergencof very short duration will not be lost. he disk 71 is fixed on theshaft 72, while the disk is rotatably loose on such shaft. The two disks70 and 71 are interconnected by a spring 73, which tends to hold the twodisks in a definite relative position, but permits a slight relativerotative movement between them. l

The two disks 70 and 71 have notches 74 and respectivel desirablyratchet notches with a radia wall at one end and an inclined wall at theother; and the two disks are desirablv reversel the shaft 72, so thatone o them has its radial wall and the other its oblique wallas theleading end-wall with relation to the direction of rotation-which iscounter-clockwise in Figs. 1 and 3. As shown, the radial edge of thenotch 75 is in advance, while the inclined edge of the notch 74 is inadvance. The spring 73 tends'to hold the two disks 70 and 7l in positionso that the notch 74 is slightly displaced forward from the notch 75 inthe direction of rotation, with no' overlap between the two notches.However, the loose disk 70 may be rotated relatively to the disk 71 tocause the two notches 74 and 75 to overlap slightly; in which positionthe control finger 68 notches and thus permit the stop finger 67 toenter between two teeth of the stop gear 47 to stop the high-speedmechanism; but unless the control finger 68 can enter its notches, thesto finger 67 is clear of the sto gear 47, an the high-speed mechanismis ree to rotate. This latter condition exists when the control finger68 is riding on the unnotched portion of the periphery of the disks 70and 71. Y

When the high-s d mechanism is in stopped position, with the stop finger67 between two teeth of the stop gear 47 and the control linger 68 inthe then partiall overlappi notches 74'and 75, as is indlcated in ig. 3,the sp 73 is under stress. When by any meins the control r 68 is liftedout an 75, which means that at the the stop finger 67 stop gear 47 tolet the mechanism start, the stressed s rx 73 immediately snaps theloose disk 70 slightly forward to displace the notch 74 fromradially'below the control nger 88'; so that such `finger cannotre-enter the notches. Such re-entry cannot take lace until the shaft 72has made a comp ete rotation- 360-for during that time the controlfinger 68 rides on the unnotched portion of the disks 70 and 71.

As the end of such complete rotation is approached the control linger 68catches same time mounted on may enter the of the notches 74- inresponse to any desired Ait is fixed on the shaft 72, continues itsforward rotation, stressing the s and in a short time causing the stinotch 75 to overla slightly the now stationary notch 74. en a suiicientoverlapping occurs, the control er 68 drops into the two notches, and att e same time the stop finger 67 drops between two teeth of the stopgear 47 and sto s the high-speed driving mechanism. If t e emergency isnot over, however, when a complete rotaring 73, l-moving tion of theshaft 72 has been made, said -shaft 72 makes another rotation before thehigh-speed driving mechanism is stopped.

One revolution of the shaft 7 2 corresponds to a definite length ofmovement of the chart 10. Conveniently this definite length of movementis equivalent to a normal or low-speed movement of twent -four hours, sothat when the high-speed diiving mechanism stops and the low-speed.driving il resumed t e low-speed record starts at substantially the sametime of day at which it had been interrupted for the interim ofhigh-speed drive, and thus the accuracy of the normal chart-record issubstantially not disturbed by the inter osition therein of an emergencyhigh-spec record.

The operating arm 68 is loosely connected to the armature of anelectro-magnet 81; and has a tendency tomove away from such magnet, asby a eaf spring 82 between it and the magnet, to move the stop linger 67and control finger 68 into their stopping positions between the teeth ofthe stop r 47 and in the notches of the disks 70 an 71 respectively.When the magnet 81 is energized, it moves the armature 80 against suchspring, and lifts the sto linger 67 clear oil' the stop gear 47 and)moves the control linger 68 clear of the notches 74 and 75, to permitthe high-speed drive to start.

The electro-magnet 81 may be energized conditions. I

shall not attempt to enumerate the vari' ous conditions to which it mayres nd. In the illustrations shown, it is supp 'ed from a suitablesource of current 83, and is controlled by an overload relay 84 and anovoltage relay 85 suitably associated with the main supply-circuit 18tc respond to current and ,voltage conditions therein. With theserelays, the electro-magnet 81 is energized to cause the high-speedoperation of the chart 10 upon the occurrence of an overload on thecircuit 18 or upon failure of the lll voltage of such circuit. Theseconditions, however, are merely shown as examples of the emergencyconditions which may produce olperation of the high-speed drive.

So ong as such an emergency does not occur, the chart is driven at lowspeed by the low-s eed driving mechanism 20, with overrunning at theclutch 27-26-28. When an emergency occurs, however, such as an overloador no voltage, the ma net 81 is energized and rocks the rock s eeve 65to disengage the stop finger 67 and control iinger 68 from the notchesin which up to then they have been received. Immediately the spring 73snaps the loose disk 70 forward, so that the control finger l68 cannotre-enter the notches 74 and 75 because they no longer overlap. Thisprevents an abortive attempt at starting the high-speed mechanism incase the emergency is of exceedin ly short duration, for otherwise therecor of such a short emergency might be lost on the chart.

Upon the aforesaid rocking of the rock sleeve when the emergency occurs,the springmotors 33 and 34 at once start the high-speed drivingmechanismdinto operation; and this starts the chart forward at highspeed within a very small fraction of a second from the be inning of theemergency. The high s ee drive of the chart is at a uniform speecontrolled by the critical-speed overnor on the rock shaft 50.

The hig -speed operation continues for at least one revolution of theshaft 72, and then st s if the emergency is over'by that time. owever,if at the end of an comtplete revolution of the shaft 72, whet er therst or some subsequent revolution, the emergency still continues, thehigh speed continues for the least one more revolution of such shaft 72.When the emergency ceases, the spring 82 moves 'the armatureBO away fromthe magnet 81, and tries to return the sto finger 67 into en agementwith the teet of the stop gear 4 However, such engagement cannot occursave at the end of va complete'rotation of the shaft 72 from itsstarting point, for at'other times the control finger 68 rides` on theunnotched portions of the peripheries of the disks 70 and 71 and thusthe stop linger 67 is held out of engaging position. In that case, thenext time the notch 74 comes to the control fi r 68 after-the emergencyhas ceased, suc control finger 68 enga s the rear radial wall of suchnotch, and t ereby stops the loose disk 70 from rotation, thus causingthe still-advancing notch 75 to overlap the now stationary notch 74 andpermitting the control finger 68 to drop into such notches when theyoverla sufficiently, and thus to permit the stop nger 67 to drop into anotch between two teeth of the stop gear 47. Thereupon the high-speeddrive comes to an end,y and the low-speeddriveresumes its action indrivin the chart 10.`

I claim as my invention 1. In a graphic meter having a chart, a markingdevice 'for the chart, and a lo w speed driving mechanism for normallydriving the chart, the combination of a highspeed driving mechanism fordriving the c art at high speed, said high-speed driving mechanism beingnormally at rest and including a device in whichv energy isstored andmeans controlled b the occurrence o an emergency for starting saidhigh-speed driving mechanism into operation to utilize itleeored energyto drive the chart at high s 2. In a graphic meter having a chart, amarking device forthe chart, and a lowspeed driving mechanism fornormally driving the chart, the combination of. a highspeed drivingmechanism for drivi the c art at high s eed, said high-speed drivingmechanism inc uding a device 1n which energy is stored, a sto -mechanismfor stoppin said high-spec driving mechanism, sai stopping mechanismbeing normally operative to hold the high-speed mechanism at rest, andmeans operable upon the occurrence of an emergency for releasing saidsto ping mechanism and thereby causing the hig -speed driving mechanismto utilize its .stored energy to drive the chart. at high speed.

3. In' a graphic meter having a chart and a marking device for thechart, the combination of a driving mechanism for driving the the chart,said driving mechanism being normally at rest and including a device iny which energy is stored, and means controlled by the occurrence of anemergency for starting said driving mechanism into operation to utilizeits stored energy to drive the chart.

4. In a graphic meter having a chart and a marking device for the chart,the combination of a drivi mechanism for driving the chart, said drivingmechanismv including a device in which energy is stored, a stopmechanismfor stopping said driving mechanism, said stopping mechanismI beingnormally operative to hold the mechanism at rest, and means operableupon the occurrence of an emergency for releasing said stoppingmechanism and thereby caus' the drivin mechanism to utilize its stoenergy to rive the chart.

5. In -a device for controlling movement of the chart of a graphicmeter, a driving mechanism, said driving mechamsm including a device inwhich energy is stored, a stop-mechanism for stopping said drivingmechanism, said stopping mechanism being normally o rative to hold themechanism at rest, an means operable upon the occurrence of an emergencyfor re easing said izo stopping mechanism and thereby causil the drivinmechanism to utilize its Stor energy to rive the chart.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis,Indiana, this 7th day of March, A. D. one thorusand nine hundred andtwenty seven.

DONALD J. ANGUS.

